The Cherry Berry Chiller

Last Tuesday, my son and I decided to try the new Cherry Berry Chillers at McDonald’s. We each had a coupon to try it for free, so it was worth the walk. It tasted somewhere between Berry and Punch Juicy Juice without the vitamin C. I do not understand how it can be 100% juice, yet not have any nutrients with the exception of 2% calcium and 2% iron. It is like they sucked out all of the healthy ingredients and just left the sugar. The frozen beverage contains a whopping 49g of sugar per 12 oz drink (http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.mccafe.879.Cherry-Berry-Chiller-12-fl-oz-cup.html) and only 1g of protein.

It did not taste as sweet as the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, but it was sugary nonetheless. I did not feel a thick residue of sugar covering my enamel as I usually discover after one of McDonald’s beverages. Linus seemed to enjoy it, though he did ask for chicken nuggets. Luckily, the fact that they were still serving breakfast foods was a good excuse.

Our cups were left with almost an inch of room, devaluing the product even further. The texture of the beverage was a little thinner than an ICEE, and it was watered down fruit juice by the time Linus finished his drink. It was fruit juice and ice blended together. Though I appreciated the fact that there weren’t any ice chunks.

I wouldn’t buy one (so good thing it was free). A healthier and cheaper version could be made at home with 100% vitamin C fruit juice, or calcium fortified orange juice, blended with frozen fruit. A small 12 oz Cherry Berry Chiller retails for $1.69.